Take a good look: some of these guys will win leagues, and others will tear their ACL in week 2 and have fantasy managers questioning their very existence. Here are the 2021 fantasy football PPR scoring running back rankings. (Note: These rankings are best used for the PPR scoring system, where a player gets a point for every reception, and will be updated as the offseason progresses).
Standard scoring running back rankings can be found here
1-10
1. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
Woah, who saw this coming?! While Christian McCaffrey’s 2020 season was tragically cut short by injuries, the first time he’s missed even a single game in his entire career, in the games he did play he still averaged a staggering 30.1 fantasy points. Don’t get cute at the number one draft pick, get McCaffrey.
2. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
While Dalvin Cook has immense talent, he must have made some deal with the football gods and pays the price for it by having to miss at least a game every season. Despite his routine minor absences, Cook is still a fantasy production monster who will no doubt be a league-winner.
3. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Whether it’s Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston under center in 2021, Alvin Kamara will be a pivotal piece of the Saints’ offense. He is especially good for PPR leagues as he routinely tops the list of receptions for running backs. As long as Sean Payton‘s in charge, count on Kamara to deliver week-in and week-out.
4. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
While Derrick Henry loves to turn up at the end of the fantasy season, he’s often inconsistent and is not exactly a pass-catcher, with only 14 receptions for 93 yards in 2020. He’s still an absolute beast and is worthy of a top 5 draft pick, but his low passing work in an increasingly pass-centric Titans offense puts him slightly lower than the other elite running backs.
5. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
Like other pieces of the Chargers offense, Austin Ekeler’s draft stock is on the rise with Justin Herbert under center. Ekeler has the potential to thrive particularly in PPR leagues, as he’s an elite pass-catching back with a staggering 92 receptions in 2019 and 54 in a shortened 2020 injury-ridden season. If Ekeler can stay healthy this year, he should be a league-winner in PPR leagues.
6. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
The leading back of one of the most lethal running games in the league, Nick Chubb is poised for a huge year as long as he stays healthy. Chubb is Cleveland’s best offensive weapon, so don’t expect his usage to go down any time soon.
7. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Jonathan Taylor had a breakout rookie season last year, and while Marlon Mack was re-signed to the Colts’ roster, Taylor proved he was more than capable to lead the committee. Taylor will have no shortage of volume as Carson Wentz gets adjusted to the new system, and should be well-involved in the passing game.
8. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
Ezekiel Elliott may have had a rough 2020, but so did Dallas as a whole. The absence of Dak Prescott was felt since his early departure in the offense, so hopefully Prescott’s presence will bring a resurgence to Elliott as well. One bad year on it’s own shouldn’t be too worrying, but running backs do have a shorter shelf life compared to other positions, and Elliott isn’t getting younger. There is still elite production left in Elliott’s tank, but exactly how much is still unknown.
9. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
Fantasy managers are still chasing the dragon that was Saquon Barkley’s rookie season where he averaged 18.1 fantasy ppg and had 91 receptions on the year. He’s had a rough couple of years due to injuries, but if all goes well, Barkley should do nothing but feast this year especially in an upgraded Giants offense. An ACL tear and high ankle sprain are not easy to come back from, but if Barkley performs as expected, the ceiling is the sky for this pass-catching bell-cow back.
10. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
It’s not like Jamaal Adams was detrimental to Aaron Jones’ production, but his departure certainly doesn’t hurt Aaron Jones’ case either. With more touches to go around, Jones should be set up for another highly productive season.
11-20
11. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers
So, an Alabama bell-cow running back was drafted to a team with a shoddy QB situation and has historically been known to not only run the ball, but mainly use one guy to do it. If this doesn’t spell ‘fantasy league-winner’, what will? The Steelers are in a tough spot right now, and will be using Harris to get out of it. Harris will most likely see huge volume starting as soon as week 1.
12. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Mixon is always promises elite production but seems to fail to deliver year after year. He has shown that he can be an RB1, and the Bengals offense looks to be the best it’s been in a decade, so if there’s any year for Mixon to meet expectations, it’s 2021.
13. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks
If that pesky Russel Wilson wasn’t there keeping Chris Carson and Pete Carroll apart, Carson would be free to run up and down the field as he pleases. While Carroll’s forbidden love of the run game keeps Carson relevant, as long as Russel Wilson is in town, a lot of the scoring will go through the passing game. As long as Carson stays healthy, though, he’s still a great high-end RB2 option.
14. Antonio Gibson, Washington Football Team
Antonio Gibson had an outstanding rookie season joining a Washington offense that’s on the rise. Gibson did benefit greatly from Alex Smith‘s and Dwayne Haskin’s tendencies to check down, something Ryan Fitzpatrick tends to avoid. This will slightly hurt Gibson’s PPR production, but he’ still a solid high-end RB2.
15. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs
Clyde Edwards-Helaire did not live up to the almost-insurmountable hype leading up to his rookie 2020 season, but he did have his moments, especially as a pass-catching back. free agency add Jerrick McKinnon shouldn’t be seen as too big of a threat for volume, and with a year to adjust to the league, Edwards-Helaire should find a bigger role in the NFL’s premiere offense. He will likely be seen as a value pickup in the draft by the end of the year.
16. J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens
J.K Dobbins had his moments last year, but unfortunately fell victim to being a member of the Baltimore Ravens backfield, which is about as fun for fantasy football as nails to a chalkboard. With Mark Ingram gone this offseason, Dobbins seems to be next in line to lead the committee. This is Baltimore, though, so proceed with caution.
17. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears
David Montgomery squeezed in all of his production towards the tail end of the season like a college sophomore who just started studying for their final the night before. While he finished RB6 on the year in 2020, he averaged 12.27 points per game before the week 11 bye, and 25.7 points per game after. With Tarik Cohen returning from injury, it’s hard to see a future where Montgomery keeps up that post-bye production.
18. D’Andre Swift, Detroit Lions
D’Andre Swift is the last remains of any sort of exciting offense Detroit had, and now they’re starting fresh with Jared Goff to bridge the rebuild gap. While Jamaal Williams was signed in the offseason, both Kerryon Johnson and Adrian Peterson departed, so the backfield seems to belong to Swift. With virtually no one else to pass to and Swift’s inclination toward the passing game, he could see a nice increase in production this year especially for PPR, but Detroit’s new lifeless offense keeps him from hitting elite status.
19. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles
Miles Sanders managed some pretty nice fantasy numbers last year despite missing a few games due to injury, and is a very talented back. The Eagles’ poor offensive line and Carson Wentz’s decline off a cliff certainly did not help his case, but now he’s facing competition for touches from Detroit import Kerryon Johnson, who may threaten his bell-cow status.
20. Myles Gaskin, Miami Dolphins
The leader of the Miami backfield, Myles Gaskin had a pretty solid second year, and with so new names popping up on the depth chart, Gaskin will probably perform similarly in 2021 barring a huge breakout.
21-30
21. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
Josh Jacobs was the king of volume in 2020, ranking third in attempts in the NFL. That all sounds great until this next part: Jacobs rushed for 1,065 yards off of 273 touches, that’s a measly 3.9 YPC. With Kenyan Drake coming into the Las Vegas backfield, this volume will be going down, which means Jacobs will probably see a significant decline this year.
22. Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns
Despite not being a leading back, Kareem Hunt is on an offense that loves to run the ball, and Hunt is also the third-down pass-catching back, meaning that his upside is huge for scoring on the goal line. He also performed better when Nick Chubb was healthy last year, so consider this other half of Cleveland’s 1 2 punch a nice flex option.
23. Darrell Henderson, Los Angeles Rams
Cam Akers tearing his Achilles has him sidelined for the season, which is devastating for fantasy football, as it whittles down the already scarce selection of quality running backs. What’s even worse is that while Darell Henderson is the next man up, Sean McVay has mentioned that he would like to utilize a San Francisco-esque approach to the Rams’ backfield. A committee may cap Henderson’s upside, but he did have some flashes of brilliance last year. He’s now a comfortable flex pick at best and provides some insurance at the running back position.
24. Mike Davis, Atlanta Falcons
Mike Davis did a great job filling in for McCaffery during his absence last year, finishing as the RB12 overall in PPR leagues. He had some poor showings but they were in part due to him either being phased out of the gamescript or some head-scratching playcalling. With no other competition for touches in Atlanta, Mike Davis could perform well above his ADP.
25. Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals
Chase Edmonds had some pretty bright spots behind Kenyan Drake in the 2020 season, and with Drake’s departure, Edmonds looks like he’s leading the backfield in 2021. His pass-catching specialty should help him out in PPR leagues, and James Conner shouldn’t put too much of a dent in Edmonds’ production
26. Ronald Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While Ronald Jones seemed to be the consensus lead back during the 2020 season, Leonard Fournette started to creep up behind him increasing his volume towards the end of the season and especially in the postseason. This along with the addition of Giovanni Bernard as a third-down back may decrease Jones’ production.
27. Melvin Gordon, Denver Broncos
While Melvin Gordon was serviceable last year, he hasn’t been able to return to his dominance from his earlier seasons as a Charger. With Phillip Lindsey gone and a new draft pick to replace him, it’s looking like Gordan’s backfield to lead. Although, the Broncos trading up in the second round to get rookie Javonte Williams certainty does not instill a sense of long-term job security for Gordan.
28. Damien Harris, New England Patriots
While Damien Harris will be getting his fair share of touches, Sony Michel will be returning, The Patriots drafted a running back, and Cam Newton will be under center until further notice and will be the number one candidate to rush a touchdown in at the goal line. On top of all of this, the Patriots love using multiple backs in a single game, so The New England backfield will likely cause more headaches than joy for fantasy managers.
29. Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers
Speaking of backfields that cause headaches, The San Francisco 49ers love to have, no exaggeration, a million running backs signed to a roster. Jeff Wilson, Wayne Gallman, and Trey Sermon will all be rostered along with Raheem Mostert, and chances are they will all be getting a piece of the pie. Mostert will likely start off the season leading the backfield while Jeff Wilson recovers from injury, but who knows what things will look like even three weeks in.
30. Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars
Here’s a break from the doom and gloom. Travis Etienne has a lot more optimism going into this season than some of those above him. He’s a fantastic catch-passing back who was Trevor Lawrence’s most reliable playmaker at Clemson. While he’s joining a committee with last year’s waiver wire MVP James Robinson and veteran Carlos Hyde, teams don’t draft players in the first round to warm the bench.
He’ll probably be eased in to start the season, but don’t be surprised if he’s getting the lion’s share of the work by the end. He’s also a fantastic receiver which will boost his production in PPR.
31-40
31. Leonard Fournette, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Despite Leonard Fournette’s monster playoff run, he’s still going to have to share with Ronald Jones, who took the majority of the Buccaneers’ snaps last season. He will have some pretty good weeks, but it’s hard to rank him higher when he’s on an offense with such a diversity of weapons.
32. Kenyan Drake, Las Vegas Raiders
This ranking might be a little optimistic for Kenyan Drake, but his diverse skill set as both a runner and a receiver makes it hard not to put him on the field in red zone and third down plays, especially because the Vegas backfield leader Josh Jacobs is a pretty traditional runner. Don’t be surprised if Drake inflates his production with some vulture touchdowns and breakaway runs this season.
33. Zack Moss, Buffalo Bills
Zack Moss was supposed to be a rookie steal in the fantasy draft last year, as no one saw Josh Allen‘s giant leap forward coming, as well as Stefon Diggs‘ immediate impact on arrival. This year, expectations are extremely tempered for the Bills running game, but if Buffalo does decide to diversify their plays, Zack Moss will likely be first in line for carry opportunities.
34. James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars
The man, the myth, the legend: James Robinson. The undrafted rookie who rushed for 1,000 yards on the worst team in the NFL last year is being done dirty. The Jaguars drafted their new QB’s favorite college weapon in the first round of the 2021 draft and acquired Carlos Hyde in free agency, so things are not looking as bright for Robinson this year. Still, Jacksonville can’t let a needle in a haystack rust on the bench, and Jacksonville’s offense is already looking way better than last year, so hopefully this breath of fresh air and a couple of competent runners in the backfield will make sure that Robinson still sees some work.
35. Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos
The Broncos used a decent amount of draft capital on Javonte Williams, so they have every intention of using him. While he is currently second in line behind Melvin Gordan, Denver will likely be no stranger to running the ball this year, and if Williams is as good as Denver thinks he is, he could see his workload increase as the season goes on.
36. David Johnson, Houston Texans
It’s hard not to feel bad for David Johnson, as he was merely a victim of one of the worst trades off all time, and now he’s stuck in Houston. With Desaun Watson dealing with his…issues, it’s likely that the Texans will be focusing on their run game this year, as foretold by their head-sratching offseason acquisitions of veteran Mark Ingram and Philip Lindsey
37. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
James Conner took some unnecessary blame for the Steelers’ dead run game during their catastrophic late season collapse last year. While he’ll be behind Chase Edmonds for carries on the Cardinals, he should see some opportunities to make some big plays behind an improved offensive line.
38. Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens
While being second in line in a Baltimore backfield doesn’t exactly set a player up for fantasy success, Gus Edwards has shown he can be productive in the past, and is a great handcuff pick if J.K Dobbins goes down.
39. Michael Carter, New York Jets
Michael Carter was drafted in the 4th round of the 2021 NFL draft, and while he’s unproven, he was highly praised for his play at North Carolina as a diverse back able to both catch and run. Considering the other members of the Jets’ committee couldn’t beat out dinosaur Frank Gore last year for snap counts, the lead role could be Carter’s to win.
40. Latavius Murray, New Orleans Saints
While Latavius Murray is old, plays behind Alvin Kamara, and is on an offense struggling to find a new identity, he is still a top 2 handcuff draft pick, and has shown that he can fill in Kamara’s shoes quite well. He even had some top 10 weeks last year despite Kamara still being in play. He’s still worth a draft pick, either as an insurance pick, or just to screw over the other Kamara owner.
41-50
41. Xavier Jones, Los Angeles Rams
42. A.J Dillon, Green Bay Packers
43. Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills
44. Jamaal Williams, Detroit Lions
45. Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis Colts
46. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
47. Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears
48. J.D. McKissic, Washington Football Team
49. Trey Sermon, San Francisco 49ers
50. Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks
51-60
51. Phillip Lindsay, Houston Texans
52. Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
53. Giovani Bernard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
54. Jeffrey Wilson Jr., San Francisco 49ers
55. Salvon Ahmed, Miami Dolphins
56. James White, New England Patriots
57. Benny Snell, Pittsburgh Steelers
58. Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts
59. Kerryon Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles
60. Tevin Coleman, New York Jets
61-65
61. Javian Hawkins, Atlanta Falcons
62. La’Mical Perine, New York Jets
63. Joshua Kelley, Los Angeles Chargers
64. Justin Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers
65. Darrynton Evans, Tennessee Titans
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